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Exploring the Effects of Value Diversity on Team Effectiveness

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Abstract

Purpose

The goal of the present study was to explore the potential impact of within-team value diversity with respect to both team processes and task performance.

Design/Methodology/Approach

We explored value diversity within a comprehensive framework such that all components of basic human values were examined. A sample of 306 participants randomly assigned to 60 teams, performed a complex hands-on task, demanding high interdependence among team members, and completed different measures of values and team processes.

Findings

Results indicated that value diversity among team members had no significant impact on task performance. However, diversity with respect to several value dimensions had a significant unique effect on team process criteria. Results were consistent with respect to the nature of the impact of value diversity on team process outcomes. Specifically, the impact of team value diversity was such that less diversity was positively related to process outcomes (i.e., more similarity resulted in more team cohesion and efficacy and less conflict).

Implications

The results indicated that disparity among teammates in many of these values may have important implications on subsequent team-level phenomena. We suggest team leaders and facilitators of teambuilding efforts could consider adding to their agendas a session with team members to analyze and discuss the combined value profiles of their team.

Originality/Value

This is the first study to highlight the unique impact of many unexamined, specific components of team diversity with respect to values on team effectiveness criteria.

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Fig. 1

Notes

  1. We calculated r wg(j) using the uniform expected null distribution.

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Acknowledgments

The participation of the second author in this project was supported by the Asociación Mexicana de Cultura A.C.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Management Department, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC, USA

    David J. Woehr

  2. Management Department, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) School of Business, Río Hondo 1, Mexico, D.F., 01080, Mexico

    Luis M. Arciniega

  3. Joint Advertising Market Research and Studies (JAMRS), Alexandria, VA, USA

    Taylor L. Poling

Authors
  1. David J. Woehr
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  2. Luis M. Arciniega
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  3. Taylor L. Poling
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luis M. Arciniega.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 4.

Table 4 Brief definitions of the 10 value constructs and examples of the PVQ items
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Woehr, D.J., Arciniega, L.M. & Poling, T.L. Exploring the Effects of Value Diversity on Team Effectiveness. J Bus Psychol 28, 107–121 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-012-9267-4

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